Olympic stars who sparkled in London are raking in millions in an unusually active endorsement season, reaping the benefits as Americans show a hunger for heroes after five years of tough economic news.

Sponsors appear to be paying extra this post-Olympic season compared to years past to sign golden names, such as gymnast Gabby Douglas, say endorsement experts, including Sheryl Shade, Douglas’ agent.

“I think the deals are larger coming out of the 2012 Olympics,” said Shade, whose firm also has represented Olympic gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Shannon Miller. “Kids need someone to look up to and, let's face it, adults need that as well right now. We do need heroes.”

The Olympic afterglow is reminiscent of the patriotic pride that flared following the 1980 gold medal win by the vastly overmatched U.S. men's hockey team. Americans dominated the London games with 104 medals including 46 gold, far more than China, the closest rival team.

Quantifying the wave of endorsement deals is difficult without viewing and tallying each contract. But consider the reported pact Douglas recently signed with Kellogg’s, said to be worth $1 million to $3 million, and estimates that break-out swimming sensation Missy Franklin could have made $2.5 million a year had she not opted to eschew endorsements to maintain her eligibility for college sports.

“The desire for heroes – in the U.S. anyway – is as strong as it’s been in years,” said John A. Davis, author of “The Olympic Games Effect: How Sports Marketing Builds Strong Brands.” “At the risk of sounding overly philosophical, we tend to reach for mythical heroes when times are particularly challenging.

“It's natural to seek hope in those who exude a sense of optimism, and this year's Olympians, including Gabby Douglas, seem to be a particularly honorable bunch,” Davis said. “Given our propensity to create narratives around heroes, sponsors have understandably become willing authors.”

While Olympic marketing insider Jan Katzoff said he, too, has seen “a slight uptick in endorsement money,” he ties that increase to a slowly rebounding economy, including stronger corporate earnings.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympic Committee, which funds athlete training and coaching, has successfully renewed some sponsorship partners (24 Hour Fitness) and landed new ones (Chobani), creating an even taller stack of Olympic-minded business backers.

“The third part, for me, is there is money coming from corporate support that is not necessarily Olympic-sponsor driven,” said Katzoff, whose agency Radiate Group represents 18 Olympic sponsors and forged sponsorship deals with hundreds of Olympic athletes on behalf of brands. “I would cite Subway as a brand that has become very aggressive in signing Olympic athletes – and that also drives the market.”

At the quiet end of the revenue stream, quadruple-gold-medalist Missy Franklin has opted, so far, to stay out of the lucrative endorsement pool so she can swim for the NCAA school of her choice.

“It is safe to say that she would be giving up between $5 (million) to $10 million over the next quadrennium (four years),” Katzoff said. “She really could be the next big story in U.S. swimming and could attract a variety of brands in addition to her endemic ones. She has to be confident that she has three more Olympic Games in front of her.”

Davis added, “There’s so much commercial pressure on these athletes now to take advantage of this very short window because they may not have this opportunity again -- and it will take 30 to 40 years to earn that same amount. The flip side is, you have to admire the fact that she wants to go to college and have a normal life. But it is sort of tempting to look at it and say, ‘Oh my gosh, she’s instead going to college for four years?’”

Many Olympic medalists, of course, never get a whiff of endorsement gold, largely due to the lack of TV coverage for lesser-known sports.

But one of the London Games’ most satellite-beamed stars, American swimmer Ryan Lochte -- who snagged two golds, two silvers and a bronze -– hasn’t yet cashed in on endorsements as heavily as some marketers had expected.

Yet some in the sports-marketing community say Lochte should be raking in millions more.

“He probably could have done more, based on the expectations,” said Shade, the agent for Douglas. “He’s handsome, speaks OK. People were expecting a lot more. It hasn’t happened yet. Maybe there’s more to come.”

There are whispers in endorsement circles that Lochte might be a bit of a loose cannon, perhaps a risk to straitlaced companies when athlete missteps can erupt quickly into Olympic-sized scandals. (See: Michael Phelps.)

When Lochte admitted to TODAY correspondent Ryan Seacrest that he occasionally pees in the pool, many marketers that had been considering the swimmer likely were relieved they had not signed him to an endorsement deal, experts said.

“If you represent a company these days,” said Shade, not speaking about Lochte, “you’ve got to be absolutely, 100 percent pure.”

The swimming phenom lived up to expectations in London, winning five Olympic medals and setting a new world record. She talks about the events to celebrate her homecoming, starting her senior year of high school, and whether she plans to go pro or go to college.

Silver medalist Dawn Harper will stick her finger in some grease, she said, to fulfill her need for junk food.

By Ian Sager and Sarika Dani

For four long years, they have resisted the siren call of the greasy hamburger and the enticing whispers of the milkshake.

Now that their competition in London is done, several U.S. Olympians are done fighting the urge to break their strict diets. Bring on the fries, pizza and steak, and let 100-meter hurdles silver medalist Dawn Harper show the way.

Aly Raisman's post-games guilty pleasure is pizza, while teammate Gabby Douglas is going to hit up a Mongolian grill.

The guilty pleasures of Orozco’s gold medal-winning counterparts on the women’s gymnastics team run the gamut from pizza (Aly Raisman) to a Mongolian grill (Gabby Douglas), while U.S. shooter Jamie Gray made a special order after winning the gold in the 50-meter rifle three-position.

“I’m a healthy eater, normally,’’ Gray said. “[After competing] I went to the USA House and had a nice rare steak. It was awesome. They didn’t have it in the buffet so the chef made it and brought it out himself.’’

Not all athletes go completely off the wagon. “[I want] a giant slice of gluten-free pizza!’’ said pole vault gold medalist Jenn Suhr. “I follow a gluten-free diet, but I can’t wait for some good pizza.’’

Food cravings are also a reminder of home for the Americans thousands of miles across the pond. Mexican-born distance runner Leo Manzano, who became the first American to medal in the 1,500-meter race since 1968 when he took silver, is craving some of his mother’s flour tortillas at home in Austin, Texas.

“Flour tortillas are not as good for you, but they taste better,” he said.

Fellow Austin resident Michael Tinsley, who won the silver medal in the 400 hurdles, has his own hometown agenda.

“I really want to have a burger from Mighty Fine,’’ Tinsley said. “They have the best burgers in Austin. They’re big and juicy and neatly made!”

Some Olympians aren't craving food, but company: Suhr said her first order of business when she gets home will be going to the babysitter to pick up her dog, a Great Pyrenees named Tundra, and her cat, Morris.

petside.com

Missy Franklin smooches her pooch, Ruger. The two Skyped while she was in London.

Swimmer Nathan Adrian is also waiting to see his dogs, a pair of pound puppies named Boo (after the character in "Monster’s Inc.") and Sully. Adrian said he has been Skyping with his family but since you can’t Skype pets, he has missed his dogs.

Don’t tell teenage swimming phenom Missy Franklin that you can’t Skype with pets. Franklin pined for her 9-year-old, 110-pound Alaskan Malamute named Ruger so much that she had a Skype session in London with the canine simply sitting in front of the camera. When she gets home to Centennial, Colo., she plans to “cuddle my dog for like 20 days straight.’’

Finally, if there aren’t any pets or burgers waiting for them at home, Olympians could always blow off steam the old-fashioned way, like Grevers plans on doing.

Gabby Douglas, here on the podium on Aug. 2, is fielding offers to write a book.

By Sarika Dani and Scott Stump

She's the darling of Olympic gymnastics with her bright smile and gold medal. Now, Gabby Douglas has become a sought-after target for book publishers.

The 16-year-old, the first African-American woman to ever win the gold in the Olympic all-around competition, is currently fielding numerous book offers, according to her agent, Sheryl Shade.

“I have about five solid offers and at least 12 inquiries in total,’’ Shade told TODAY.com on Thursday. “I just haven’t had a chance to speak with them all. I think within the next week she will agree to do one.’’

People

Gabby's People magazine cover.

Shade has represented several gymnasts who have starred in the Olympics over the years, including special TODAY.com correspondent Shawn Johnson, who won gold in 2008 in Beijing. Shade has also worked with Shannon Miller, Paul Hamm and Dominique Moceanu, securing high-profile deals for a host of gymnasts.

Douglas has already secured an appearance on a special-edition Kellogg's Corn Flakes box and is featured on the cover of the latest issue of People magazine. She signed a deal with Procter & Gamble before the Olympics, and an Aug. 3 report by Forbes estimated Douglas will earn, at a minimum, between $2-3 million annually in endorsements over the next two years.

Douglas' potential book may focus on her faith. Three of the publishers who have approached Shade are from Christian imprints.

“They are asking for an inspirational autobiography,’’ Shade said. “You’re 16 years old — you can’t have a big autobiography. Gabby is driven by quotes and inspirational passages that people send to her.’’

“I would love to put out a book," Douglas told TODAY.com. "My mom and I want to let people know about us and how we overcame hard times.”

Gabby Douglas and her mom, Natalie Hawkins, on TODAY after Team USA's gold-medal win.

By Jillian Eugenios

Just before the scoreboard showed that Gabby Douglas had won the gold in individual gymnastics last week, her mom Natalie Hawkins had only one reaction: relief. It was relief that came after ten years of training, after her daughter said she dreamt of being an Olympian, and after she let her daughter move away from home at 14 to chase her dreams.

The relief didn't last long, as Hawkins soon found herself defending her daughter's hair, which had been swiftly criticized for being both “unkempt” and “embarrassing” very soon after Douglas made Olympic history.

In an interview with gymnastics gold medalist Dominique Dawes, Hawkins said when she first saw the comments she was confused. "Because I was looking at the pictures and I was like, 'I'm missing it,' because I don't see what they're talking about. I mean, she doesn't have fly-aways all sticking out, it's not like it's all over her head. It's pulled back into a ponytail."

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Gabby Douglas has been deflecting online commentary about her hair.

Hawkins went on to describe the specific way gymnasts must tie their hair back so that it doesn't interfere with their tumbling.

As her daughter competed, Hawkins thought of Douglas sharing a place in the history books alongside Dawes, who was the first African-American woman to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics. Hawkins told Dawes that when she imagined Gabby winning the gold she thought of her sharing "that amazing feat with people like the likes of you, and so that was exciting for me to know, that she would be counted on a level and in a category with you and all the other gymnastic greats."

She was not considering her daughter's ponytail.

According to Dawes, it shouldn't be a consideration. "As an athlete you are not focused on your appearance or you're not going to make those achievements," she said.The attention over Douglas's hair gained ground once it hit Twitter. One user tweeted, “I love GabbyDouglas, but I'm mad at whoever keeps letting her wear that half wig and that silky ponytail on the back of some nappy hair.” Another suggested she did not belong on camera.If Douglas has been fazed she hasn’t shown it, continuing to wear her hair the same way throughout the games. Fans have encouraged her along the way, many coming to her defense. TODAY's Al Roker tweeted Tuesday, "Anybody who has a problem w/Gabby Douglas' hair needs to sit down and be quiet. Enjoy and focus on the accomplishments."

When Hawkins spoke about the hair controversy to Fashionista.com, she said that she herself was once guilty of prioritizing her daughter's hair before her training, and had to be reminded that it had nothing to do with her career. “It was actually her coach who told me that,” she said. “I was trying to get her into a hair appointment and I wanted to move her training schedule around and he said to me, ‘She’s beautiful. You don’t need to change her hair. We need to focus on training.’" Douglas lives and trains in Des Moines, Iowa, with a host family, Hawkins reminded Fashionista.com. "She lives with a white host family and they don’t know anything about taking care of her hair," she said. "And there’s no black salons in their area — not one. We had to work really hard to find a stylist to come and do her hair... It’s really been African-American women that have come out and attacked her. They don’t know about gymnastics. She has to keep her hair in a ponytail 28-30 hours a week."Hair, especially among African-American women, has long been a cause of contentious discussion. As TODAY.com reported last week, media queen Oprah recently went au naturel for the cover of her magazine's September issue, which hits the stands today. The cover has sparked everything from widespread support to accusations that she isn’t wearing her real hair.

Douglas herself has summed up the controversy, echoing her mom’s statements in an interview with the Associated Press. "'I just made history and people are focused on my hair? It can be bald or short; it doesn't matter about (my) hair,'" she said.

Msnbc's Alex Witt talks with sports attorney Steven Olenick about how much endorsement money can an athlete expect to make by winning a gold medal.

By E.J. Schultz , Ad Age

For U.S. Olympic star Gabrielle Douglas, breakfast is just the start. Her deal to front Kellogg's Corn Flakes boxes is likely to be followed by endorsement deals from major marketers looking to capitalize on America's newest sports star.

"She's got a great personality, a great smile, a great backstory," said Jim Andrews, VP-content strategy for IEG, a sponsorship, research and consulting firm owned by WPP. "I think she'll be at the top of the list for companies looking to do something with a U.S. Olympic athlete," he said, adding that "she's definitely got the potential to earn millions."

Ms. Douglas' endorsement stock soared higher than one of her vaults on Thursday night, when she added an all-around gymnastic gold medal to the team gold she won earlier in the week. Kellogg Co., an official sponsor of USA Gymnastics, announced a deal hours later, on Friday morning, that will put her on special-edition Corn Flakes boxes in the fall.

But another marketer was ahead of the game. Procter & Gamble signed up the gymnast before the games, putting her in a "raising an Olympian" video that was produced immediately after the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic trials.

Also, "she's signed to represent the overall P&G brand, as well as our beauty brands (Olay, Pantene, CoverGirl, Secret)," a P&G spokesman told Ad age in an email.

The P&G and Kellogg deals will likely preclude competing personal care and food brands from making similar deals. But other categories seem wide open, such as apparel, Mr. Andrews noted. Still, he added, she is not likely to reach the sponsorship saturation of Mary Lou Retton, whose stardom and endorsement power lived on for years after becoming the first American woman to win all-around gold at the 1984 Olympics. "Nowadays both the companies and the athletes are a little bit more judicious in what deals they do," Mr. Andrews said. "I'm sure she has representation who is going to carefully select a handful of partners that make the most sense so that she is not over-exposed."

Also, because it's usually difficult for gymnasts to compete in multiple Olympics, "it's an intense burst" of attention, "but it has a very short shelf life," said Marc Ganis, president of SportsCorp, a sports-business consulting firm. "Effectively, they are in competition with the ... figure skaters," he said. And in the current era, when the summer games are followed by the Winter Olympics just two years later, "by the winter of 2014, the same sponsors and the same media attention will be focused on the figure skaters," he said, especially if there is a U.S. gold-winner on the rink.

Still, if Ms. Douglas can make it to the 2016 games in Brazil, she could approach the endorsement value of someone such as swimmer Michael Phelps, he added.

No matter what she eventually earns, there is no denying her star power today. Along with her charming smile, Ms. Douglas has a certain every-teen quality that makes her an immediate hit. She is a fan of "Twilight" movies and "Hunger Games," and listens to Lil' Wayne, Drake and Eminem, according to an interview she gave to Entertainment Weekly. "Gospel music always relaxes me and calms my nerves," she told the publication.

"To have her burst on the scene like that, come out of nowhere, is part of the allure," said Darin David, an account director for sports-marketing agency The Marketing Arm. Also, "she was able to do that in one of the most high-profile events at the games. That puts her right there with any of the top swimmers or track stars coming out of the games," Mr. David said.

Ms. Douglas is also the first African-American woman to win all-around gymnastics gold, which makes her even more appealing to marketers, said Ahmad Islam, managing partner of multicultural agency ad agency Commonground. "Being the first at anything is always big news," he said. And as more brands look to "connect with multicultural consumers, but not necessarily do it at the exclusion of the masses, she's perfect in a lot of ways."

Fresh from her historic gold medal win in the Olympic gymnastics individual all-around, Gabby Douglas talks about the hard work and sacrifice it took to get there and about making history as the first African-American woman to win the all-around title.

By Jillian Eugenios

When U.S. Olympian Gabby Douglas broke into the record books Thursday by becoming the first African-American woman to win the all-around gymnastics gold, it was a moment of glory that wasn’t reached without a lot of sacrifice.

Douglas told TODAY’s Savannah Guthrie on Friday that she hasn’t stopped smiling since standing on her podium to accept her medal. “I could barely sleep last night,” she said.Douglas credits her coach, Liang Chow, with helping her focus. She began training with him when she was 14, moving from her home in Virginia Beach, Va., to be closer to his gym in West Des Moines, Iowa. She lived in Des Moines with a host family and trained alongside 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson.“I just want people to know it took a lot," she said. "It took a lot of hard days in the gym and determination, passion and drive. Gold medals are made out of your sweat, blood and tears, and effort in the gym every day, and sacrificing a lot that you have to do.”When Douglas hit the competition floor Thursday, Chow provided a reassuring presence during the finals.

"I remember Chow telling me just stay calm, remain focused and the results will come up by themselves,” she said. Douglas thrilled the crowd with her radiant smile, impressive tumbling and mastery of everything from the balance beam to the uneven bars. Her score of 62.232 kept her at the top of the leader board, and she kept an eye on it as her competitors completed their routines.

“I was like, 'Okay, do I have the gold, do I have the silver, what do I have?''' she said. "And it was a crucial moment. My heart was just pounding, and it was definitely nerve wracking. I was like, 'OK, do I have it, do I not?'”She had it, and is honored to make history. Her victory also marked the first time the U.S. women have ever won the team gold and the individual all-around gold in the same Olympics.

“It’s so meaningful to be the first African-American to win the all-around gold medal in the individual and making the history books is definitely one of the perks,'' she said. "It just feels amazing.”In a week that has brought two gold medals, she also received a very special invitation. After Douglas and her team won gold earlier in the week they got a call from President Barack Obama. “He was just telling us that he was so proud of us and keep up the good work, and we should come visit him at the White House sometime,” she said. She has received another familiar perk of Olympic stars - her image now graces the front of a Kellogg's Corn Flakes box.

As Jordyn Wieber aims for Olympic stardom, she has already achieved a huge goal: A spot on a cereal box.

By Scott Stump

While a potential shot at a gold medal waits in London, gymnastics star Jordyn Wieber has already achieved a special type of Olympic immortality — a spot in the cereal aisle.

The boxes came on Wednesday, prompting the 17-year-old from Michigan to tweet, “Look what was delivered to my house today! Can’t wait for them to be on shelves.’’

“I was so excited,’’ Wieber told TODAY.com. “I never thought I would be on the front of a Kellogg’s Corn Flakes box. It was the most surreal thing. Even just recently, walking through the grocery store and seeing Summer Sanders and Kerri Walsh on there, it’s just so cool to see all those Olympians and know that’s going to be me next.’’

Getting a spot on a box also illustrates the high expectations for Wieber, who is the reigning world all-around champion. Now she just needs to do her best to bring home a gold, which then may lead to another one of her major goals — meeting Justin Bieber. Hanging with the Biebs, of course, is #2.

“I have to say the gold medal would be probably a lot cooler,’’ she said. “Meeting Justin Bieber would be awesome, too.’’

She is hoping to spread “Wieber Fever’’ from the Midwest all the way to London after years of support from her hometown and fellow students at Dewitt High School in Dewitt, Mich. To keep the "fever" from spreading, her supporters will often wear surgical masks and T-shirts imprinted with the malady.

Jordyn has caught “Wieber Fever’’ herself — her older brother, Ryan, was a star quarterback at Dewitt who inspired his own following during a state playoff run in the fall. Jordyn was right there with her own costume surgical mask in the stands, cheering him on.

“It’s a lot of fun just knowing that I can share that spotlight with my brother,’’ she said. “We can both have our different sports and it’s exciting to see him do well."

Jeff Roberson / AP

Jordyn Wieber takes a leap on the balance beam during the women's senior division at the U.S. gymnastics championships on June 10.

The elite gymnast has maintained a sense of normalcy during her ascension to stardom by continuing to attend her local high school.

“I think just staying in school part-time has helped me a lot. It balances out my lifestyle," she said. "I’m able to go to training and then go to school, which takes my mind off gymnastics. Having a different group of friends outside of gymnastics has also definitely helped me over the years.’’

To fulfill her golden goal in London, Wieber will have to break a jinx that goes back to well before she was born. Since 1972, only one woman has won the all-around title at the World Championships and then followed that with an Olympic all-around title. No American woman has accomplished the feat in the last 40 years, as Shawn Johnson won the world all-around title in 2007 but took second behind teammate Nastia Liukin in the 2008 Olympics.

“I try not to think about the jinx too much,’’ Wieber said. “I try to focus on my own training, but it definitely makes me want to reach that goal even more and make it to the top of that podium.’’

Wieber has an intense focus she has shown in tight competitions like the recent national championships. With fellow Olympic hopeful Gabby Douglas neck-and-neck with her throughout, Wieber won the all-around title by just 0.2 points over Douglas.

“I think it motivates me a little bit more just knowing the scores are so close, and knowing that I’m going to need to get every tenth out of every routine helps me do better in the competition,’’ Wieber said. “I think a lot of it just comes from my personality, but at the same time I have to practice every day. I do a lot with all the girls in the gym watching me at one time and translate that over to the whole crowd having their eyes on me at one time. I think I train my mind to compete under pressure.’’

Anointed American gymnastics' “it girl,’’ Wieber is ready, post-trials, to take on that pressure in London, which may be her best shot at Olympic accolades. The window of time for gymnastics stardom can often be short. Liukin, only 22, is now fighting just to get a spot on the team at the upcoming trials.

“I think every gymnast is different, and some girls are coming back at an older age, but this is my time right now,’’ she said. “I just try to put everything I have into this year and this summer.’’